[Singh]

Well, thanks for the vote of confidence at the least. Glad to know I've got some addicted readers, at the least

Anyways, new part before I head off to M'sia tomorrow morning!

As the lift descended slowly, Bosch had a bad feeling start to form at the pit of his stomach. His journey here had been riddled with problems; and from the looks of it they weren't going to end either.

First, after leaving the Commodore's office Bosch had made every attempt to get the elivator to go down to Level 10, but it had failed, citing reasons that it was not authorized to exit at that level. After spending nearly 5 minutes trying to override or otherwise coax the computer into taking him there, he had finally given up and tried to ask how he got there. Apperantly, their was a seperate elevator going down to that level, and that level only, but the Computer did not recognize his authorization codes to give the information on where exactly it was.

Hence, Bosch had set out to find it, asking around from the crew how to get to this Elevator and/or to level 10. However, when Bosch did ask the question, whomever he asked would either give him an odd stare, or simply gawked at him. When he had pressed them for an answer, all they said was to not go down there; not then, not ever. He had been bounced from department to department till, finally, in an act of desperation, he had gone back to the Hangerbay and sought for Gibson's help.

Gibson, in turn, had disappeared from the hangerbay, and had left for the mess; sending Bosch all the way across the installation towards the crew rest areas to find Gibson. Even then, searching through the bar itself had been a tough task, but he had finally found Gibson and managed to get the information out of him. However, most of Gibson's friends had given him the same odd stare the others had; and nearly all of them warned him not to go down there.

Then Gibson told them Bosch had been posted there. Bosch could've sworn that anyone would have heard a pin drop in the sudden silence that followed. Although the bar wasn't crowded at the time, it wasn't empty either, and had a respectable level of ambient noise. But the noise, the conversations...it all simply vanished into the silence once Gibson uttered the news. Many of the patrons then simply crossed their hearts and seemed to utter prayers of sympathy and regret. Many uttered the words 'dead man walking' or 'poor bloke' before turning back to what they were doing. But for the most part, Bosch ignored them, took the directions and left.

Unfortunately, the directions led him all the way back across the installation, past the hangar bay and into what appeared to be a very delapilated and unused portion of the base. The corridors positively reeked of smells the nature of which Bosch didn't want to even figure out. Fortunately it had been brief, as Bosch finally found the elevator after several wrong turns and lots of back-tracking....if one could call it that.

The thing was more of a freight lift than anything else; extremely wide and tall, it appeared to have been specially catered to taking heavy equipment. From the incredible amount of rust on the sides and the support beams, it's age was clearly evident. So was the lack of use; cobwebs stretched across the cielings and walls, leaving Bosch only to wonder how the hell they had even got there, considering that stations were normally swept clean of pests and insects on a regular basis.

He had just shook his head and attempted to work the control panel as best as he could...except for the fact that it was dead. Bosch had come very close to simply throwing up his arms and giving up. The universe hardly seemed to be in his favour, and it was quite clear from the suggestions of everyone else he'd be better off not knowing what was down on Level 10. But curiousity drove him onwards...there had to be a reason this was so difficult...something was hiding down there; something that did not want to be found. Besides, Bosch couldn't go back on his orders...it would count as treason, at the very least.

So he had simply swallowed his pride and worked at the console for nearly five minutes before it's lights blinked back on, bringing the entire elevator to life. After closing it, Bosch had set the panel to take him down to level 10. Then the elevator had begun it's slow descent downwards albiet at a somewhat slow crawl.

Oh hell yes, it had been riddled with troubles, to say the least. But, hopefully, it should be over soon.

Unfortunately for Bosch, little did he realize that his troubles were only about to start.

The environment in the elevator started to become more and more damp and humid, causing Bosch to start sweating profusely. He instantly regretted not changing out his dress uniform first, but he had little choise but to bear with it for now. He did unfasten the top few buttons first though, and it did bring in a little relief, if nothing else.

Finally, thirty seconds later, the elevator squealed rather loudly as it slowed to a stop. The doors in front rolled off to the right and left, revealing a long, dark corridor in front of him. Only one of the ceiling lights was functioning, and that was towards the end of the corridor, near what appeared to be a door of sorts. Bosch could barely make out the corridor itself. From the looks of it, there were a few side corridors, but he could only tell it from the fact that some places seemed darker than others.

The light of the elevator only seemed to extend for a meter or two past the exit, with the same being for the light at the end. It was times like these that Bosch really wished he had a flashlight. Sighing, he stepped forward, slowly walking down the corridor. It was around maybe 10-20 meters away at most, but still, Bosch walked slowly, feeling the corridor ahead as much as he could before putting the full weight into his step. With the delapilated conditions surrounding him, it wasn't too hard to imagine that the floor might not be as stable as one expected.

A few meters in, he came to the first junction. To either side of him was a corridor, but here also the lights were all out, with exception of the one near the door at either end. However, all the doors appeared to be boarded up and barricaded. Nobody was getting through there, that was for sure. Bosch paused for a second, enjoying the cool breeze and the cross-ventilation that came from the junction. He was damn close to starting to pant out audibly – the humidity down here was insane! No respectable engineer would have allowed such a thing to happen, and you could sure as hell bet Bosch was going to write in a complaint about this. The humidity, almost-zero light conditions and the crampness combined together to give an overly cluastrophobic experience, and he could now see why the rest had warned him not to go down here.

With that, Bosch continued on. A few more meters down, he passed by a panel. The panel's lights and displays were on. Bosch looked at it for a second. Although the display itself wasn't very unusual, what was were the controls. The control itself seemed to consist of several keys along with an array of five glowing red lights that were arranged similar to a 'v' shape. There appeared to be a breeze blowing in from the side of the panel, as if there was a corridor there. But it was so dark that Bosch couldn't even see his own hands, much less any corridor or door. He simply shrugged. It must have been a ventilation panel or something, while the controls and displays were probably just an outdated model he had never seen before.

Turning back to the door, Bosch once again began his slow trek down the corridor, not giving a second look backward.

Then he heard something.

Bosch wasn't sure what it was – it sounded much like how an insect would move...a soft, quick scratching noise, that's all it had been. But it was enough to drive him into jumping and whirling around to face whatever it was. However, this proved futile as the light from the panel hardly went far, not revealing anything.

Then he heard it again.

It was definitely nearby, and this time quite clear. A definite scratching noise, much like and insect would make. Bosch shrugged. Considering the age and the cobwebs he saw earlier, he shouldn't be surprised – a lot of insects would have made their home here, especially cockroaches. Again, another complaint for the station super-intendent.

He turned around and kept on walking, reaching the door. The door itself was an odd sight, especially on a station. It was like a traditional one, made out of wood and with a doorknob. There were no controls, no security measures to ensure that nobody unauthorized entered, except perhaps the need for a key. Grabbing the knob, Bosch tried to twist it open, and was surprised when it moved. He had expected it to perhaps be locked. But then remembering what the others had said, Bosch realized that anyone coming down here must have a death wish....or perhaps, execution orders?

The last thought sent a chill down his spine. However, he dismissed it. The GTVA wasn't that barbaric, especially after the BETAC convention.

Taking some comfort in that fact, Bosch opened the door and stepped through, seriously doubting that his day could get much worse anyway.



Had one stayed back and observed the panel however, they would have seen something strange.

The array of lights blinked off...and then on again. And then off again, before finally coming back on. It then moved, forwards. It then turned towards the door Bosch had  gone through, and slowly started moved towards it, apperantly gliding through the corridor much like how a ghost would glide through the darkness; firmly intent upon it's chosen victim, never faltering, never wavering.

However, it was only as it approached the small ring of light would one have recognized it's true form. Covered in an insectlike exoskeleton, the thing had five limbs; three below and two above and back and all of them ended in very sharp and short claws. It took up the entire space of the corridor, using all five limbs to pull it along and through. The array of compound eyes studied the door; and if one looked carefully, they would have noticed a strange 'flap' of sorts next to the eyes, along what a structure that seemed artificial. This structure housed what appeared to be a cannon of sorts.
If one were educated in GTVA history though, they would have immediately recognized the thing for what it was: a Shivan.

Knowing this, one would have immediately evacuated the area and left it to it's own devices. But unfortunately for Bosch, this particular shivan was going to show him just how much worse his day could get.

[Mongoose]

Woah...

[Kie99]

Singh, the flight company has just rang me and told me all flights to Malaysia are off.  They didn't ring you and tell you because they ....... lost your number, but found my phone number from my ...... IP Address and asked me to tell you.


 Can't wait for the next chapter.

[Singh]

im not taking a flight, im taking a bus! It's right next door (5 hour trip) so yeah,

I'll be writing in Maylasia, so don't worry - with luck, the next chapter will be up this weekend.

[Singh]

The room beyond the door was equally dark, and Bosch found it quite hard to make out much. However, a few lights were on here and there, and Bosch was at least able to see a few distinct features. The entire room appeared to be a large lab of sorts; it’s surface area was perhaps 50 feet into 30 feet, with long rows of rectangular tables stretching across the length of the room. Lights hung down from the ceiling on long cables, illuminating the tables In the few locations where they were operating. A few others were on, but only faintly, casting their entire regions in a faint twilight of sorts.

The tables themselves held test tubes of various sizes, along with several flasks and burettes. Some of these were filled with water or other chemicals, for the most part everything was empty. However, the faint scent of disinfectant and other chemicals hung in the air, irritating his sinus and causing him to sneeze a few times. The sneeze caused quite a bit of dust to fly off the tables, irritating him even more. Finally, however, he managed to catch his breath and stop it. He just shook his head sadly.

This was…anti-climatic, to say the least. Bosch had expected some sort of proper facility for research, or at least for this to have been the end of the trip to the Doctor’s lab. Sighing, he looked around…perhaps there was a door or something that led to somewhere else. After straining his eyes in the darkness, he finally found one at the other end of the lab. The light above the door had failed, and Bosch could barely make it out, but the handle cast a slight reflection off what little light that was there, catching his attention.

Lets hope this one’s the last one. Bosch thought to himself, getting really, really tired of all this. He was about to head for the door when a loud creaking noise caught his attention from behind him.

Looking at the door he just came from, Bosch realized that he hadn’t closed it, and it now hung open, creaking as it swung in the…

Wait a second…there’s no wind in a station. Bosch thought to himself. And doors simply didn’t creak like that on their own.

Whirling about, Bosch came to face the door, which slowly creaked open. But he could only see blackness beyond the door, which was odd, since the light was on a second ago…he couldn’t see anything beyond the door, at least, until it opened fully.

Slowly, Bosch could make out something glowing in the darkness. An array of five red lights – not unlike what Bosch had seen next to the control panel. What the hell was it?! How did it move from there to here, or open the door for that matter?!

The lights turned, looking first left and then right. It turned into Bosch’s direction, but didn’t see anything, as Bosch had ducked under the nearby table. He cursed under his breath. What the hell was that thing? After a second, he peeped out from just above the top of the table, trying to get a glimpse of the thing.

The array of lights was still standing in the doorway, scanning the rest of the room from the looks of it. However, it slowly moved forwards. Bosch could hear a soft thunk come from behind the door, as whatever it was moved it’s limbs and dragged itself forwards. It paused at the doorway itself, as if squeezing to fit inside the narrow archway. Bosch watched as a thick arm extended forwards into the lighted area just beyond the doorway. It was grey in color, and appeared to be heavily armored. At the end of the arm was a three-toed claw. It grabbed the wall on the left side of the door, while another arm extended out and grabbed the right side. Looking carefully, Bosch realized that there were other similar marks along the wall.
 
The thing pulled itself in, revealing two additional, upper arms as well as one more on the bottom. Although Bosch instinctively recognized it, he was too shocked to process the information.

This thing…it was what the GTVA had trained him to fight ever since the great war, it was the great enemy that had faced humanity, and only through sheer good luck and fortune for us, had lost the war. He had seen the pictures; the recordings of the teams that had gone into a Shivan freighter in an attempt to capture a specimen; they had encountered more just like this…and had been torn to shreds by them. Bosch could still remember the screams of the team for many nights after watching the video for the first time.

And now…here, one of things was standing right in front of him, probably hunting him. Worst still, the weapons used by the marines all those years ago only stunned a grown Shivan, and Bosch was with nothing but his hands…and maybe surprise.

But against a Shivan, even Surprise was useless.

He ducked back down as the Shivan turned to his direction again. He then heard it move away from his direction, suggesting that it hadn’t seen him. He breathed a sigh of relief and once again peeked above the table…

When he looked above the surface however, all he saw on the other side were five very red, very brightly glowing compound eyes staring right back at him. This was only offset by the massive glow just to the right of those eyes, coming from the shoulder-mounted beam cannon. The Shivan let out a loud screech, causing Bosch to cover both his ears in pain.

Bosch cursed, ducking just as the Beam cannon fired, arching it’s way through most of the wooden table structures, as well as anything on the table itself. It’s bright light illuminated the entire room much akin to lightning. Flasks shattered left and right as the beam ran its course clear across the room, scorching the wall on the other side. Bosch sprang into action, cursing as he ran towards the end of the table. The Shivan spotted him, turning the beam cannon to track him as he ran. He dropped at the last second, tumbling on the ground, the cannon just sweeping by where he had been running less than a second ago.

Catching his breath, Bosch began to run again, this time towards the other end of the room with the door. Behind him, he could hear the Shivan screech again as the Beam cannon shut down. Glancing back, he saw it jump up onto the ceiling, defying gravity by doing a twist in mid-air and grabbing the ceiling with its claws. From there, it leapt towards Bosch, intercepting him before he could turn the corner towards the door. Bosch saw it, ducked and turned just before the last table. The Shivan flew right over him, hit the wall and fell onto the floor, temporarily disorientated.

Taking this chance, Bosch ran as fast as he could towards the other end of the table. He cursed as the dress uniform slowed him down from going at full speed though. Cursed formalities! But then, he couldn’t exactly have expected to have come into a combat situation…

As he turned the corner, however, the Shivan recovered and turned to face him. Desperately, Bosch grabbed the door knob and tried to turn in…only to loose his balance as it broke off completely. Holding the knob in his hand he looked at it for the briefest of seconds, just realizing how rusted it truly was. However, he never got the chance to regain his balance, as Bosch fell to the left against the wall. The Shivan took this opportunity and leapt again, landing directly above Bosch. It placed a lower arm on either side of Bosch, while burying its upper two arms into the wall directly above him, pinning him into place. Bosch was now trapped, and quite possibly dead unless he did something, fast.

The beam cannon once again began to charge, and Bosch could do little but turn away as it glowed brighter and brighter..till…finally…it greeted him.

“Greetings.”

The voice it spoke in was soft, feminine in nature. It’s tone was completely calm, belying the sheer panic and fear that was in Bosch’s eyes as he looked up in surprise and spoke.

“What?”

“Greetings…my name is Mara. Welcome to the Doctor’s lab - How may I be of assistance to you today?”

Before Bosch could reply though, he felt something sharp suddenly puncture his right shoulder. He turned to looked at it, and saw a dart embedded deep into it.

“My apologies for the tranquilization, but my scans indicate that you are supposed to be the Doctor’s next co-worker. However, till your role can be confirmed, you are not authorized to know the entry and exit methods into the lab.” The Shivan continued, it’s tone remaining calm, as if nothing as happened.

The universe started to fade around Bosch as the Shivan continued to speak.

“Thank you for your co-operation, and have a nice day.”

Gibson was right. Mara definitely was one mean ***** Bosch thought before the world finally went dark.

[Mongoose]

Great stuff!

P.S.  When you make reference to the scene from Hallfight, you mention it as taking place on the Taranis.  It's been a little while since I've seen that cutscene, but I seem to remember it occurring on a captured Shivan transport, not the Taranis.

[Kie99]

The Taranis was never boarded, after it was taken to Tombaugh station, the Lucifer destroyed Tombaugh, and presumably the Taranis was destroyed.

[FireCrack]

Yeah, then they captured a traansport afterwards and boarded that.

[Singh]

hmm...odd. I always thought it was the Taranis that they captured and boarded.

Anyways, edited.

[Singh]

“Look, I don’t care if it’s ‘following protocol’ but doing this to every single person that comes to this department is going to make our staffing problems worse, not better.”

A male voice spoke out, cutting through the darkness that enveloped Bosch. It seemed to come somewhere to his right. Another voice replied though – it was similar to the one that spoke to him before the blackness came up, but he couldn’t remember who it was.

“I am aware of that, Doctor, but my orders and protocols are clear. I must identify and stop all unwanted personnel, as well as keep the entrances hidden.”

Again, the first voice replied.

”Yes, but we’ve got enough rumors flying across the base as it is. We’re only lucky that the Commodore understands your need to exist; otherwise you’d most likely be a memory by now!”

“But Doctor, technically, my programming is but a memory inside the computer-“

“Oh no you don’t, don’t give me that technicality crap again! You know full well what I was referring to – you’re just trying to change the subject. Imagine what would happen next time someone decided to come with guns – they could just damage the entire projection matrix!”

The first voice countered back, his tone obviously quite angry. Bosch began to recognize the second, female voice though.

“Perhaps, but at the moment I’m afraid to change it again. According to vital signs, your co-worker is regaining consciousness.”

Bosch slowly began to open his eyes, revealing a very blurry ceiling above him. Fortunately, there was no light staring him directly in the face. From the right, a dark-haired face emerged into view. It was distinctively eastern, probably Indian, and the person had a very worried expression on his face. He looked up at someone on his left, speaking.

“Ah, finally. Mara, get back into the computer – we don’t want to scare our guest any further.”

Bosch looked to the left, only to see the silhouette of a Shivan fading away into nothingness. Then he remembered what happened. That Shivan….had it merely been a hologram? How? Bosch never knew holographic technology was so advanced to allow such things. Turning to his right, he brought his hand up to his head, and then to the ache in his shoulder.

“What….what happened?” Bosch asked, still somewhat groggy. The man looked down at him and shrugged.

“Mara here tranquilized you. She calls it protocol; I just call it something the GTVI left behind that she should forget.”

The man helped Bosch up into a sitting position on the bed. Looking around, Bosch realized that he was in a small medical lab of sorts. The bed he was on was the only one in the entire lab, and was pretty much the focus of the entire thing. Although there were no instruments around the bed itself, it was clear from the panels and the sockets on the ceiling that they existed at one point of time.

“Don’t move around too much – the tranquilizer will take a while to wear off.” The man said, putting away the small medical scanner he was holding. He placed it onto a nearby tray, on which Bosch could see several instruments, some sharp while others were of…questionable nature, to say the least. Frowning, he looked back at the person, who was arranging the instruments. Bosch asked, his throat somewhat raspy.

“Doctor Ramayan, I assume?”

The doctor simply looked up to him and nodded. “Yes, that assumption would be correct, Captain.”

Taking away the hand from his head, Bosch nodded. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised that Ramayan knew his name.

A long silence hung over the air, as both parties waited for the other to speak first. Finally, Bosch spoke up, smashing the silence.

“I don’t know about you, but when one gets introduced to your colleagues in a strange manner, it’s never counted as getting off on the right foot.” Bosch laughed, getting off the bed and standing. He turned to the doctor, giving a short smile.

The doctor in turn, smiled, nodding.

“Yes, indeed. At least, though, I have fulfilled my obligation to ensure you get the exercise you need. That, and Mara tends to be one mean *****.”

“Am not! I was only following protocol!” Mara’s voice rang out from the other side of the lab, where a large display showed several schematics. Bosch recognized it as a large computer complex.

“Are too! Everyone on the stations thinks you are one!” The doctor shouted back at her. He turned back to Bosch before nodding and extending his hand.

“Perhaps we should start over then – My name is Doctor Ramayan. I apologize for her…’enthusiasm’, but Mara is a bit single-minded, as are most A.I. constructs these days. Sometimes she seems much like a real person, but others time she reveals her true limitations.”

Bosch looked at the hand, and then took it.

“It’s no problem. I’m Captain Bosch – I’ve received orders that I will be assisting you in a project. GTVA command didn’t clue me into what it was, though.”

Ramayan nodded, but instead of answering, he waved towards the door.

“Perhaps this would be better explained over a cup of coffee. Would you care to join me in the mess?”

Bosch nodded, realizing he hadn’t eaten or drank anything since he had gotten aboard the transport to here. He couldn’t remember how long it was – but his stomach did as it let out a loud rumble.

Dr. Ramayan simply laughed. “Well, looks like you haven’t eaten in a while. Come, I’ll get Mara to cook us some food in the spec mess.”

With that, Ramayan led the way out, with Bosch in tow.

[Singh]

On a rampage today! At 94 pages in the word document!! just 6 more pages to go to 100! wohoo!

Several minutes later, they were in the nearby mess, where Mara had prepared several buttered toast and laid it out on the table. As they traveled here, Bosch had observed that there was quite literally no-one else on the entire level. All the rooms they passed were empty and abandoned. However, the doctor did not bother to explain the reason as they were walking. When the reached the mess however, it’s condition was quite clean and well-kept, a total opposite when compared to the rest of the level.

Ramayan led them to one of the tables, grabbing one of the toasts along the way. Bosch took a tray and a plate from one of the sides and took a few pieces. After placing them on the table, he then joined Ramayan next to the coffee machine, mug in hand.

“Don’t mind if I ask, but is this entire level so empty? Don’t you have any other staff here?” Bosch asked.

Ramayan nodded, his focus still on the machine.

“Nope. Only people down here are me and Mara. This entire level used to be full of people at one point of time, but after the GTVI abandoned the original project and cut the funding, the only one left running is the one I am working on now.”

The doctor paused, considering carefully what to say next.

“The GTVI didn’t have the funding to clear out all the restricted tech left behind down here, so they simply set the entire level on lockdown. Since I was using it, they didn’t have to worry much about wastage either. As for staff….”

Ramayan paused, the coffee machine pinged, indicating it was ready. Taking the coffee jug from the machine, he poured himself a mug, as well as for Bosch. They then proceeded to the table, as he continued to speak.

“Unfortunately, the only people who qualify for working on this project are those with experience with the GTI and the Shivans. Such people are rare in the GTVA, and even rarer in the service side. I put in my request for a research partner over three years ago.”

Bosch simply nodded. It must have been sheer luck that whomever had decided his posting assignment remembered about the Doctor’s request, otherwise he wouldn’t have landed up here at all. The doctor took a seat opposite the Bosch and sipped his coffee.

“What about the research here – what was this place’s original purpose? What are you doing here?” Bosch asked.

The Doctor simply looked at the mug, shaking it slowly, swirling the brown liquid around. He spoke, not looking up.

“It’s of a classified nature, but since we’ll be working together, I might as well tell you. This entire level was once meant as a combat training zone for the 194th Dark Claymores, a combined Terran-Vasudan marine squadron that had been specially trained for combat against Shivans, either on the ground, on our spaceships, or onboard their own warships. To simulate the combat zone, the entire level was fitted with state-of-the-art holographic technology, with main focus being on the nearby void area. We could simulate any surrounding within the void area; ranging from a lab, to inside Shivan transports and if needed, outer space as well. They trained here for almost a decade before funding was cut by the GTVI around two years ago. What happened to them is classified beyond my level, though, so I have no clue. However, the equipment here was so expensive to produce, the disposal methods for it ended up being equally expensive, especially since the newer models can perform significantly better than half this outdated stuff. It’s also the reason why Mara exists – she was one of the original batch of ‘Shivan’ programs that were used as the enemy. I managed to pry her out of the hands of the GTVI when they closed down the project, so that I could use her to continue what I was researching here.”

The Doctor paused. He took a sip of the coffee, ignoring Bosch’s rapt attention. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Bosch, he continued.

“As for what I am doing here….I was posted here around two years ago, when I was once again contracted by the GTVA to do research into Shivan physiology and biology, just like I had been to work on perfecting their shielding technology during and after the great war. At the time only a few others knew as much as I did, so they hired me back for quite a pay, but turned out my work wouldn’t be like what I did 30 years ago…”

This got Bosch really interested. This Doctor…how old was he? From his appearance, he looked as old as Bosch himself, but if he had been working on shield technology during the great war…he must be a great degree older indeed. His interest must have been too obvious, however, as Ramayan noticed it.

“I see that got your attention. You were involved in the great war too?”

Bosch nodded.

“Yes…I made it into active combat service at the end of the Great War, just after the Lucifer was destroyed in subspace – I was involved in the clean up of the remaining Shivan forces alongside the rest of the 52nd Screaming Weasels. After that, I was attached out temporarily in several missions against the GTI Hades rebellion. That’s pretty much where my own research on the Shivans and the GTI began, and probably the reason I am here, now.”

The doctor simply acknowledged before replying back.

“Probably. Either way, its good to know that you’ve at least got some background in the field. The project we’re working on here is probably of extreme importance, but the GTVI don’t seem to agree with me in that regards.”

He paused. Bosch was curious – the GTVI rarely, if ever, let down projects of importance, but then they were known to occasionally prioritize one that they deemed to be ‘more’ important.

“The project name I started on was called ETAK. I don’t know what it stands for, and I doubt the GTV will ever tell me what it does, either. It was meant as a complete analysis of the way the Shivans communicated and how they lived. We made great strides using what evidence was present until now, but there was a great deal of data that the GTI managed to steal and keep. However, it was enough to start on an ambitious project – one that may allow us communication with the Shivans itself.”

Bosch was taken aback. Communications with the Shivans? He had never comprehended such a thing. But then, he as a pilot he was trained for combat, meant to fight a war. Unlike the doctor, he never had the opportunity to think about stopping one. But come to think of it…why not? Till today, many scientists had spent insane amounts of times trying to figure out on how they communicated. Many suspected it was via the high-pitched screeches and other noises they made, as seen in the video. But there were a few, like Bosch, who suspected that there was something else…the Shivans were adept at working in vacuum conditions. Sound normally did not carry across the vacuum, so there had to be some other means. Eager to find out more, Bosch immediately bombarded the doctor with questions.

“So which method will you be using? The suspected sound method, or for something else? Do you have evidence of either?”

The Doctor cut him off – he seemed used to this sort of barrage.

“All will be explained in due time in your work here, I assure you.”

Bosch nodded. He’d find out soon enough. But yet, he was curious about something else.

“I understand. However, I hope you don’t mind if I ask a rather personal question?”

Dr Ramayan shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.” He said.

“Why did you join the GTA back then?” Bosch asked.

Dr. Ramayan simply shook his head sadly. His expression changed to a frown, and he placed the cup onto the table. Bosch immediately recognized that he had hit a sore spot there.

“I never was part of the GTA. Now now, not then.”

He proceeded to take a sip of the coffee, before continuing.
“I was with a mercenary group during the great war. We were hired by the GTA, and eventually just became part of it. My lab and facilities were taken over by the authorities, but they let me continue to be part of the research team that took over it. I was the overall in-charge of the project to research the Shivan shields. My parents at the time were both pilots in the GTA, so yeah, I didn’t get- too much trouble either. At least, it was till the end of the war.”

Ramayan looked down, pausing. Bosch was about to say something when he looked back up, a somewhat sad expression in his eyes.

“Both died in a strike mission against the PVN just hours before the cease-fire was announced.”

“I see…sorry to hear that.” Bosch said, his tone low. Ramayan just shrugged.

“Why would you be sorry? You didn’t kill them…such are times of war; something these new age kids desire so badly.” He simply shook his head and placed the mug back on the table. He leaned back in the chair a bit, looking right at Bosch.

“It doesn’t matter though – at least not here and most definitely not now. I have buried the ghosts of my past – I was one of the few that got the chance to meet the Vasudan captain that killed both my parents. We had talked for ages at length…at first, I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. But cooler heads prevailed, till, finally, I realized that he was exactly like my parents at the time: a soldier meant to fight, and worry about little else. Its all in the past, though, and there isn’t much I can do now….” He stopped, letting the last sentence hanging in the air.

Bosch couldn’t help but remember his own ghosts...perhaps just as bad, perhaps not, but still ghosts nonetheless.

He simply nodded sadly.

“Agreed…but you’re not the only one though…” Bosch whispered, remembering the events past. The Doctor looked up, somewhat puzzled by what Bosch had just said.

“My parents were also in the GTA. My father was the captain of the GTC Repbulic, a Leviathan class cruiser. My mother was on Riviera station, Ross 128 when the Shivans came. She was one of the few were on their way out when they did come though, but the Shivans damaged her craft, injuring her severely. By the time we got to her, she was...”

Bosch didn’t continue…he couldn’t. Instead, he simply shook his head. Such ghosts were too much to bear. Ramayan simply nodded in response. A silence once again took over the room, with neither men speaking.

Then Bosch looked up. He looked directly at Ramayan, who simply looked back. In that brief glance, Bosch realized that they both had a connection. One that time itself seemed to have ordained. Such coincidence…it came about once it a lifetime. He continued to speak.

“Ever since then, I’ve pursued with everything I’ve had…to find out why the Shivans did it. Why did they wish to cause such bloodshed, such disaster to us and the ancients? So far, I still haven’t found out why…”

He paused…looking down at his own mug. A sudden realization began to dawn, exciting his mind with possibilities…possibilities that he never dreamed of before. Ramayan seemed to pick up on this and continued.

“But if we finish this project…we could do the most direct thing possible – “

“ - which would be to simply ask them.” Bosch finished, smiling, filled with a new vigor, a new excitement.

“Assuming that the Shivans come back that is – for all we know, we finished them off with the Lucifer.” Ramayan pointed out.

Bosch look down, smiling.

“Perhaps so, Doctor. But from what I know, and from what I have gleamed off the Ancients, the Shivans are not one to give up so easily. There has to be something here that attracted them to us – and when the Great Destroyers have a goal, nothing stops them till it is achieved.” He paused, looking back up at the doctor.

“They will be back, Doctor, this much I can most definitely assure you. However, with your help, perhaps we can communicate with them…find out why…it would be the only other solution to what may just be a totally blood-filled war…something that the lost generation continually seems to seek, but something which us old-timers wish to prevent.”

He paused, letting it sink in.

“So, Doctor, when do we begin? I don’t know about you, but I intend to help make sure your project is finished, by hook or by crook.:

The doctor simply smiled. He placed the mug on the table and got up. “We can begin right now, as a matter of fact. Mara, get the summary of our work so far! We have work to do!”

He waited for Bosch to get up before bringing forward his right hand. Bosch took it, shaking it firmly. “Something tells me, this is going to be the beginning of a long, long friendship, sir.” He said.

Bosch smiled. Even though they had only just met, he could tell that this was going to be a long friendship, and nothing short of death was going to stop it.

[Singh]

I have breached 100 pages! Wohoo!! Just FYI - there is going to be a huge spacebattle appearing after the next scene.

**
Almost Five Years Later[/u]
Admiral Aken Bosch stood once again in dress uniform, ready for what was probably the toughest meeting in his life. Although previously, his toughest was after his incident at the academy, what that old admiral could throw at him simply paled in comparison to what the person he was going to see now could do. Even though he had been newly-promoted to the rank of Admiral, it still held little power in this case.

Thinking back, Bosch realized that it had been an eventful few years, to say the least. The past five years were spent working on the Iceni and the ETAK project. The former had actually finished completion much ahead of schedule, but the latter had stalled - and stalled badly.

The Iceni…the GTVA’s only class of frigate. Built with the help of his close friends in the shipyards, it had come out magnificently, and now hung in front of Bosch, so close that he felt that he could touch it if he reached out the window. Although around the same size as a Deimos corvette, the Iceni was much more powerful than it. It packed the greatest amount of firepower for any ship it’s size, and was capable of both frontal assaults as well as taking on ships from either side. It’s anti-fighter weapons package was respectable as well, allowing it cover against most medium and light bombers. All this, while still being maneuverable enough to dodge larger craft’s beam fire as well. However, all this came at the cost of armor.

In the design process, they had tried to place the same beam-retardant armor as the Deimos on it, but it had slowed down the engine so much that it barely moved faster than an asteroid. In the end, they stripped off most of the hull plates and left the re-enforced super-structure in place. There was another trump card that nobody else knew about; something Bosch had ordered in place just for himself. It was a secret that not even the GTVA would know about...but they would find out soon enough, assuming if he was forced to play his hand…especially due to the delays with the ETAK.

After nearly four years of work, both Bosch and Doctor Ramayan had come to the conclusion that, without further data on the Shivans, it was simply impossible to move forwards with the ETAK project.

Unfortunately, both also agreed that the missing piece of data – the autopsy report of a Shivan itself – was physically present in only one location within the entire GTVA.

The data was located only on the wreckage of the Hades, the GTI’s lone destroyer when it rebelled against the GTVA. The destroyer, although by now nearly half a century old, would have still had it’s data in a physical storage. However, one would quite literally have to search every deck of the wreckage in an attempt to find an intact console or data memory core to get it. However, the location of the wreckage itself was classified beyond both their level of clearance, meaning neither could get access to it.

Leaving Gibson in charge of the Iceni project and Ramayan to continue what he could, Bosch had then spent the better part of last year battling the GTVI’s bureaucracy and red tape in an attempt to find the location and secure boarding passage onto the Hades itself. Although he had found out the former, the latter had been a problem, to say the least.

Bosch had quite literally fought his way up the chain of command – going from the GTVI representative in Ribose, all the way to GTVI command in Beta Aquilae, bouncing from department to department before finally squaring off with the head of the GTVI itself. However, the head felt that he was not authorized to give permission either, as the wreckage had been moved into the Deneb system, and then crash-landed onto Deneb IV around 10 years ago by the Vasudans. The entire zone had been quarantined, and nobody was allowed to move in and out. Since the system was under primarily Vasudan control and influence, Galatic Terran-Vasudan Intelligence had referred him to the Galactic Vasudan Intelligence branch (GVI), based on Vasuda prime.

After spending four months there, Bosch had gotten to new lows in opinions of the Vasudan bureaucracy, as for the next several months, he was again bounced up through the departments, till, finally, he was going to get an answer today.

The Vasudans had fought him the entire way, for some reason they struggled to stop him from even getting near the Hades, with some officers threatening to arrest Bosch and his crew for treason. Their aggression….it was odd, to say the least.

But today, all that didn’t matter. Today was the day he would finally get his answer, as well as knowing his fate and of things to come. They had finally bounced him up to the highest authority, next to the GTVA security council as well as the Terran President. Today he would be meeting with Emperor Khonsu II himself…or rather, would be having a conversation with him via subspace radio. A significant percentage of the Vasudan Security Council would be listening in as well.  

Still, this was an important day at the least, and he would finally get his answer. In a sense, the fate of humanity depended on it. Should the Shivans ever arrive, and if they had the ability to communicate with them…it might just be enough to avert a second great war with them. It would also mean that Bosch would finally be able to find out why the Shivans did what they did. Why they attacked humanity and the ancients. It was crucial to find answers to these questions, regardless of whether the Vasudans wished him to do so or not.

He looked at the reflection in the window, only to notice Ramayan pacing back and forth behind him. Bosch smiled a bit. The doctor was understandably nervous – hell, Bosch was a little nervous himself.

“Ramayan, you may want to quit pacing. For all we know, they are probably watching us to see how nervous we are.” As if to prove his point, he nodded to his right, where on the ceiling a camera was watching them.

Ramayan simply snorted and replied, rather annoyed at Bosch’s tone.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve probably met the high-flyers before, but not me. This is the first time I’m going up to anyone above Admiral Level. What’s worst is that of all the ministers and council members out there, I had to get Khonsu II. Bloody hell, I mean, Khonsu II, he’s -“

“-Just another Vasudan.” Bosch interrupted. To Bosch, Khonsu II was just another obstacle to overcome in his mission here, and just another Vasudan. The Vasudans overall had caused too much trouble for him already, so he was somewhat used to it. Fortunately for him, he wasn’t the only one who felt this way…although they were others that he had met throughout his service, others that still held the old rivalries and hatred from the war before. He had used this to form a backup of sorts, should his endeavors here ever be stopped. But it was a backup that Bosch prayed that he would never, ever have to use. Especially not here, and especially not now.

Looking in the window, he noticed the door open in the reflection, revealing the reason why he feared using it here.

The door opened the reveal a middle-aged woman, several years younger to Bosch. Yet several features were strikingly similar, including the round, broad chin and the long face. She was in dress uniform as well, the rank of Captain adorning the eppulets on her shoulders. The uniform hid her form well; one that did not belie her true age, or size for that matter. She was nearly a full head shorter than Bosch. But this never deterred her, and she nearly always beat him at unarmed combat anyway. What was the most striking feature, however were the eyes. Her eyes were an unnatural green color, standing out from the rest like the eyes of the Chestire cat in the fairy tales of old. It was a rarity, a genetic oddity, to say the least. It was what made Jessica Bosch the most special sister anyone could ask for.

As she entered, she looked around for Bosch and spotted him near the window. Bosch, for his part, ignored her as she walked up to him, pretending to focus on something past the window itself. She was right behind him less than two seconds later, her footfalls almost inaudible against the carpeting. That was another unique thing about her – her capacity for stealth, which was probably the reason why the spooks in the GTVI had taken her in almost readily. Had it not been for the window or the reflection, Bosch would have never spotted her coming. And as he observed, Ramayan barely had time to react as well.

But unlike in the past, this time he caught her. Just before she could tap him on the shoulder, he sidestepped to the right, causing her to instead tap on the glass window. He turned around, giving her a smug grin and a low whisper.

“Nice try, captain, but no cigar.” He said, poking fun at his sister’s lower rank.

“Very funny, Admiral, but it looks like someone missed the last bulletin on the yearly stealth and self-defense courses that they were supposed to take up.” Jessica spat back.

“Oh is that so?” he replied, laughing. His sister never failed to cheer Bosch up. It was something about her…an aura perhaps, something that lightened up the people around her.

She just shook her head before punching him in the arm. Bosch grimaced in pain for a second, before taking a step back.

“Ow! What was that for?” He asked, frowning.

“For never sending me and dad any messages! Both of us were wondering where the hell you had disappeared to – for a while we thought you actually were AWOL, with all the rumors flying about the Admiralty.”

Bosch frowned. It was true, at least, he had neglected both his sister and his father during the past five years – but it was not like they kept much in contact anyway, especially after his father was shuffled out to some project beyond his level of clearance.

“That would be fine if I could find dad again. Don’t know where he went after that posting – and the GTVI clearly don’t like my level of clearance enough to tell me for that matter.” He replied, perhaps hoping to gleam a bit of information from Jessica.

“Oh, really?” She smirked, placing her hands on her hips. She always did that when she knew something Bosch didn’t – and she liked to always make him jealous of that fact…or at least, try to.

“I take it you know something of where he went?” Bosch asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well..maybe….” she rolled her eyes, looking to one side. She looked around and glanced at the Doctor. Bosch was quick to interject.

“Don’t worry about the Doctor, he can keep a secret…none of this concerns him anyway.” He whispered, and then led to the near seat. Jessica immediately started speaking.

“Ok, from what I can tell, it turns out dad’s been posted to some new construction project. It’s something huge – apparently command has decided its good enough to spend a hell of a lot of cash on it. From what Dad’s told me (and he isn’t allowed to say much) it’s a new type of Destroyer based on that new Hecate class – can you imagine? They just roll out those new ships and they want to make something better. Anyways, from what he tells me, its something like your work on the Iceni – something entirely new and fantastic, and he’s been given command of it.”

Bosch was intrigued…he had suspected that the admiralty was working on new ship designs, but a variant of the Hecate? This was interesting to say the least….not to mention somewhat worrying. He pressed on for more information.

“Hmm...interesting…any idea what is it called?” Bosch asked.

Jessica nodded her head. “Yes…apparently they are calling it the Colossus, or something like that.”

Now this really caught Bosch’s interest.

“Wait – isn’t that the same name for the – “
“- failed super-ship? Yes, it is – good catch there bro.” Jessica interrupted. “They abandoned that project a long time ago though; nothing’s left of it except a hulk. One of the greatest failures of the GTVI, supposedly. But I guess that’s what you get when you try to combine Terran and Vasudan ship designs – they simply aren’t compatible enough to allow that kind of a monstrosity to exist.”

Bosch knew very well what Jessica was referring to. Around 15 years ago, the GTVI had attempted to embark on a project – a new ‘supership’ as it were, that would outclass even the heftiest Destroyer. It was supposedly intended to be a Juggernaught sized vessel, one that could take on the Lucifer with ease. Tons of funding had been poured into it – only to disappear into what was now a lifeless hulk residing in some system under the GTVI’s control. The report had been declassified to Admiral level a while ago, although certain people working in the GTVI were privy to the report as well. The ship was supposed to herald a new coming for mankind, but unfortunately enough problems had crept in that the project was eventually abandoned. To hear that the name had been re-used for this new project though…it was surprising, to say the least. The GTVA rarely, if ever, recycled ship or project names. He let it slip for the moment though – it would be something he would deal with when it came out.

“I see…well, I guess we’ll see when it comes out. Which reminds me…what exactly are you doing here?” Bosch asked, realizing that of all the people he had expected to see, Jessica was probably the last.

“I should be asking you the same question, but word travels fast, and I already know that. As for what I am doing here…”

She punched him in the arm again.

“I work here. I was posted here around a year ago…but noooo, big brother had too many things to do to ask his little sister where she was posted.” She said, folding her arms.

Bosch raised his arms, as if surrendering. “Allright, allright! I admit it, I’m not a perfect brother. Doesn’t you have to punch me though.”

Before Jessica could reply though, the door opened again. A young female lieutenant came through. Bosch recognized her as the secretary that had helped them set up the meeting. She nodded at Bosch. It was time.

Bosch turned to Jessica, looking at her in the eyes.

“I am here for a conference with Khonsu II. What happens here pretty much decides my future for now. I wish I could explain it to you, Jessica, but please promise me that you will wish me good luck.” He said, averting his eyes, turning back to the Iceni that hung outside the window. Jessica seemed puzzled by this, but realized that Bosch was probably going in for a tough meeting. She slowly nodded.
 
“Brother…Aken…good luck. Come back and tell me how it went before you leave, ok? Whether you succeed or not, we still have a lot to catch up to, you know.”

Bosch didn’t look back at her.

“Jessica...please…I beg of you…pray that I do not fail – for if I do, it could just mean the end of us all.” Bosch simply turned, heading out the door, the doctor in tow, leaving his very puzzled and very worried sister behind.

[FireCrack]

Whoa, youre pumpin them out now!

[Singh]

Yup, and I have more.

There is just one more scene to the space battle of doom, so keep your fingers crossed - I may have it out by tomorrow if im lucky!

Two Hours Later[/u]
Location: Iceni Bridge

The lift doors opened, revealing the bridge of the Iceni to both Admiral Bosch and Doctor Ramayan. Several meters in width and length, the bridge was outlined by consoles and displays, some showing various ship systems while others showing the status of the local space around them. The bridge itself was divided into two levels, with the highest point being at the elevator. It extended into the middle of the bridge, where the captain’s seat was being occupied by Gibson. On either side, the floor sloped downwards to the bottom level, where all the crews worked and the majority of the important stations were present. To either side were doors – the right being the captain’s room, while the left was the toilet. The position allowed for a good overview of the entire operation as well as keeping ship control tight. It was pretty much the standard layout for vessels cruiser sized and below. However, for corvettes and upwards, it differed greatly.

But the Iceni wasn’t a corvette – it was a frigate, something more than a cruiser, definitely. It had several extra panels, including an XO’s chair to the right-rear of the captain as well a station for Flight Control Officers to his left. The FCO’s were supposed to act as auxiliaries to those stationed on destroyers; they were capable of controlling most fighter wings in the field, and had the ability to take over instantly and keep the situation cool.

Bosch on the other hand was anything but cool…he was fuming, almost raging. He stormed into the bridge and down the right. He bother to look at anyone, and instead, shouted to nobody in particular.

“Gibson! You, Sargo and Venson in my room, in FIVE minutes! Tell John and Sarno I want all wings on silent alert; and prepare the special line for usage. Dr. Ramayan, you come with me as well. All stations are to standby silent alert – set us on a course to the node!”

With that, he simply paced quickly into the room, nearly letting his rage take over, but Bosch controlled himself. He couldn’t afford to loose control – especially not in front of his crew. He walked the length of the sparse room and took his seat at the table. He opened a drawer underneath the table when the door opened again, and the Doctor stepped through.

“Bosch…” the Doctor whispered.

“What?” he asked, the anger seething into voice.

“Don’t do it...” Ramayan whispered.

Bosch looked at him and then stood up, banging his fist on the table, surprising even Ramayan. He had never been this angry before – not even in front of his family.

“And why shouldn’t I??! You heard the emperor! That bastard’s going to charge us all for treason, and for what? Trying to save their puny little hides??!”

Now he had had it. He almost completely lost control, the frustration, the anger reading intolerable levels. Bosch was yelling almost, uncaring of whether he could be heard or not past the soundproofing in the door.

“I just spent the last god-damn ****ing year trying to get clearance to get onto that planet. I went from one end of the GTVA to the other – all for their sake, not mine. We don’t need much – just some fricking data!!!! And now they want to CHARGE us for Treason? Not only that, they dare to threaten me to to take away this ship? This ship that I have spent five years building?”

Bosch paused for a second, looking down. He clenched his fist in anger before looking right back up and continuing.

“I have gone too far, done too much and given up too much to let this stop here and now. Too much is at stake – and from what I can see, the Vasudans are going to stop at nothing to make sure we don’t step foot on that wreckage.”

He reached down into the drawer and pulled out something. He stood at attention, turning around and examining it. It was a hat, black and of similar design to the official captain’s hat he was wearing now…however, there were some key differences.

“I’m sorry Doctor, but the Vasudans have clearly shown to me that the GTVA is no longer trustable, leaving this as our only option.”

The door chimed, indicating the others had arrived.

“Enter!” Bosch shouted. The doors opened, revealing Gibson, Sargo and Venson, who piled into the room as fast as they could. They stood at attention in front of the door, waiting for Bosch.

Bosch did not keep them waiting long however. He turned around, and placed the hat on the table. He noticed all of them tensing up when they saw the hat…they all knew what it meant…it was time.

“At ease, gentlemen. Before I continue, I will need a status update from each of your departments, and I need it now. Gibson, you go first.”

Gibson nodded, standing at ease.
“All crew stations report ready for general quarters and combat. As far as they know, its just another drill. We’ve got all those who will…’remain’…. to separate sections of the ship, and near arms in the case something unexpected breaks out.”

“Excellent. Deploy all those who aren’t staying into the escape pod and send them on a course to the nearest system. We don’t need any extra casualties today. Venson, how are the engines and the weapons?” Bosch replied, and then snapping his attention to Venson.

Venson nodded.

“She’s running perfectly fine sir. The reactor’s running smoothly, but this is her first actual trail, so I don’t know exactly how much she can take. Weapons are ready at your disposal, and the SIF is ready for deployment on your command.”

“Good work Venson. Sargo, how many wings do we have that will stay with us? And re-enforcements?”

Sargo cleared his throat before replying.

“Sir…its not good on that front. Only John’s and Sarno’s wings are ready. We’ve got a few ships outside the system at the other end of the node that are willing to help us, but once the crackers start to burst, I’d think that the GTVI will close the door, if you know what I mean. We’ll need some way to secure a path from Deneb into Vega so that Koth can bring the Repulse in. However, we’ve got the GTC Rampart, the GVC Amenti the GVCv Anouke and the GTCv Golem patrolling the system right now. More are in Deneb and Capella at the moment, but we’ve got forces there that can deal with them. The closest forces are the Majestic, the Impervious, the Belisarius and Koth’s Repulse. All are on standby to aid us, but there is a good chance most of them will end up being too closely involved in the battle.”

“I see….” Bosch replied. He looked down at the hat again and paused…now that he was more calm and able to concentrate, he considered his options…there had to be another way out of this; another way without bloodshed…without such violence…

He looked back up, realizing that there was no other way. He looked at each one of the men gathered. Each was ready to give up their lives for him…for his dream. Each knew exactly why he was doing this, and fortunately for him, there wasn’t a better crew he could ask for to back him up.

“Gentlemen…first let me tell you, there is no finer crew that I can have at my side while I make this decision. Unfortunately, circumstances has proven to me that there is no other option but the one that I am forced to take now. But I don’t need to drag all of you in it either – each one of you has family to consider, as well as what may happen to them should this go through. I want each and everyone of you to think this through carefully. If you do not wish to be a part of this, do not berate yourself over it, or think any less of yourselves. You all are soldiers, but you are all also human. As your commanding officer, it is my duty to make sure to look after your welfare and your concerns. So if you have any problems with the plan, and wish to back out, say so now. I intend for each one of you to go and inform your departments as well as those crew who wish to come with me. Either choose now and go to the GTVA in peace, or stick along for the entire ride. There will be no turning back once the decision is made, is that understood?”

All the personnel nodded. They understood it quite clearly.

“Excellent…the Vasudans have made it clear that not only will they take me out, but most possibly will repossess this ship as well. We cannot allow such a thing to occur. Announce it on general quarters and immediately evacuate all the non-essential personnel. Prepare a channel to me, system-wide as well as throughout the GTVA. Then I want all of you to leave this room and disseminate the message…and then make your choice. You know where the escape pods are – they’ll be open for the next ten minutes. After that, there will be no second chance, no going back. Dismissed.”

All three nodded and returned back to attention. They saluted the Admiral and then left….except for the Doctor. He simply looked sadly at Bosch. Ramayan shook his head and spoke softly, as if pleading with Bosch.

“Bosch…don’t do it…please…there has to be another way.”

Bosch looked down, avoiding Ramayan’s gaze.

“I wish there were Ramayan. But you were in the room with me – you heard what they said. There simply is no option.”

“There has to be. Don’t you realize what you will be doing if you go ahead? Thousands could die – probably millions – and it would all be because of me….because of some stupid data that we need to finish the project.” He spat out the last word.

Bosch was at first silent…and then he slowly began to chuckle…and then laugh. This irritated Ramayan, who lashed out and shouted. “What’s so funny?? Does my predicament seem humorous to you?”

“You think they want to do this because of you, Doctor?” Bosch simply replied back, an evil smile on his face. Before the Doctor could reply though, he continued.

“The only people who know why this is really starting is you, me, and the three men that stepped in here. As far as everyone else is concerned though, there is a different reason.”

He got up, walking towards the nearby window. He stopped, looking out at the blackness of space. He continued the speak all the while, not looking at the doctor.

“I haven’t started anything, Doctor. What I am doing is merely pushing what is already there. The hatred for the vasudans, the old scars that were left behind…they already existed. It is merely a matter of time before it builds up enough to explode. I have merely pushed it along…at least, with my influence, I can control it to a limited degree…soften it’s impact while such a thing is still possible…”
“Millions will still die, you can’t deny that – you can’t possibly want that.” Ramayan retorted.

Bosch looked at Ramayan, the features of his face changing to anger again.

“Ramayan…my sister is on that station – my sister. You think I want to attack her? My own flesh and blood? You think I want to hurt her for some stupid data? Unless you’ve forgotten, what we have worked for here will save far more than the millions that will die from what is about to happen. I do this not because I want to harm her, but because if I don’t, a lot of other brothers, sisters, parents, entire families will die when the Shivans return for us. It is this, or extinction, my friend, and unlike the Ancients that suffered that fate, what we are doing here today, will ensure that such a fate will not befall humanity, so don’t you dare tell me that I want this to happen. I know the monster that is going to be unleash upon humanity, but compared to the monster that now hunts us, I have little choice in the matter.”

The doctor took a step back, obviously not expecting this kind of an answer. Bosch pressed on, not stopping.

“The choice is now yours. Choose now doctor, for we cannot wait forever! If you think that it is a difficult decision to make, then realize that the one I made was even harder, and what I loose is everything!”

He looked at the Doctor, straight in the eye, before continuing.

“So choose, doctor. Either way, it is your decision to make – I can’t force you to make it in anyway. I wish I could give you an eternity to decide, but sorry, I just can’t. You have ten minutes, just like the rest of the men, just like the rest of this crew. Decide, Ramayan - do you wish to stay here and fight for humanity, or do you wish to go back and fight alongside the rest of it?”

The Doctor looked away, and out the window. He visible gulped. Silence held the room for several minutes as both men stood there. Bosch did not move, did not once falter. He simply waited for Ramayan’s reply. This was one man Bosch couldn’t afford to loose, but this was also one man he could not force into staying. Everything he had said till was now was true – there was no way he could decide for the man.

Finally, after nearly two minutes. He spoke. His tone was soft, quite, conceding defeat.

“The greater good always wins…I will stay, Bosch. But you sure as hell better goddamn hope your quest is for real, cause either way you will have become a butcher of innocents.”

With that, the Doctor simply turned around and walked out the door, not giving Bosch a chance to reply.

[FireCrack]

Sargo cleared his throat before replying.

“Sir…its not good on that front. Only John’s and Sargo’s wings are ready.

Sargo shouldnt refer to himself in third person...

with the top being at the elevator near them. It extended into the middle of the bridge,

???



Other than those two very well written.

[Kie99]

I'm loving this story, MORE!!!!11

[Singh]

Originally posted by FireCrack


Sargo shouldnt refer to himself in third person...



???



Other than those two very well written.

He was referring to Sarno, but fixed nonetheless. Second error fixed as well.

Thanks

[Mongoose]

Just amazing

[Fenrir]

I spent the past two nights reading this and I'm kicking myself for not having gone to this topic before. Fantastic stuff!

I just can't help but wonder if the Halo-like planet is a direct tie to the game or just an idea you borrowed from it...

[Singh]

Thanks

As to the ring...for me to know, for you to find out

[cryptic clue]
Besides...its not the ring that you should take note of...but what it, and the machine within, orbit.
[/cryptic clue]

Anyways - a small request to the forum moderaters. Can you please change the title of the thread to "A journey of the forgotten" please? It would be much appreciated, thanks!

New update coming in approximate 6 hours or so.